Getting to the Heart of Desire
Every baby cries to give expression to unmet needs. When he is hungry, we feed him. When he is cold, we cover him. When he is wet, we change him. When he is sick, we take him to the doctor. It is good to satisfy the child’s physical needs. Many think that is good parenting.
Desire points to a need.
But what happens when only physical needs are met?
Unmet Desires Create Lack and Wounding
If a baby’s deep inner hunger to be seen, heard, validated, soothed, safe and secure remain unmet, it leaves him vulnerable and insecure as he desperately seeks to fill a desire he doesn’t know exists.
You may ask, How is that possible?
To only focus on physical needs is to fail to see the child and value him as a human being of intrinsic worth.
The bottom line is it teaches the child shame and creates an inner belief he has no intrinsic value apart from food, shelter, clothing, and medicine. That shame and lack follow him into adulthood, camouflaging legitimate needs.
God Has a Lot to Say About Desire
If you google desire, you will find many articles linking desire with sexual sin. But is that all desire is?
Everything within me strongly revolted against such a notion. So, to understand desire, I turned to God’s Word. To my amazement, God has a lot to say about desire. And much of it is good!
First, legitimate needs create healthy desires. Anything God values highly will be assaulted and perverted by Satan, the master counterfeiter. And false teaching will be rife as he seeks to turn us away from the truth.
Second, the purpose of desire is to lead us to Jesus. If you seek to kill the God-given desire for love and attachment, for comfort, belonging, and safety, you work to kill your own heart.
The purpose of desire is to lead us to Jesus.
This is what I want you to hear today.
Desire indicates an unmet need God placed inside you, which if brought to Him, results in true satisfaction and blessing.
Be curious. Resist squelching and diverting into a false hunger that defrauds you and others. What is the desire rising inside of you saying?
To ignore the healthy desire God placed inside you, empowers the enemy to wound you and lead you captive into unhealthy expressions. Expressions like binge eating or binging TV shows, consuming pornography, or engaging in self-harm.
Perhaps they don’t resonate with you. But what about the things we rationalize like self-righteousness, legalism, dutiful Christian service devoid of love and humility, gossip, or workaholism?
Desire indicates an unmet need God placed inside you, which if brought to Him, results in true satisfaction and blessing.
I urge you, bring your desire to the Lord.
Don’t hide or re-channel it, pretending you have no needs. Be honest. Invite the Lord to shine His light on your desire. As you wait on Him, He will reveal your true hunger.
Ask the Lord:
* What do I fear?
* What do I lack?
* What is this hunger trying to tell me?
* Where do I turn for fulfillment?
* Is my desire legitimate?
* Do I rationalize sin to hide my pain?
* Do I practice self-compassion, or kill my desires?
* What lie do I believe about my desire?
* What do you want to teach me, Lord?
Give your desire to Jesus. Let Him carry it for you. Ask Him to wash and fill you with His Spirit so you walk in purity, with an undivided heart.
Then, give thanks, “For it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure” (Phl 2:13 NASB20).
Desire is not good nor evil in its first moment. It points to a need waiting to find expression and be satisfied in an honoring and respectful way.
Pascal said, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made know through Jesus Christ.”
Dear Heart, turn your eyes on Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. As you gaze at Him, you will be captivated by His beauty and grace.
Talk to Him.
He is present in the room with you. He is not far off. So tell Him about your fears and sorrows. Share your deepest desire with Him. He will listen!
The amazing thing is when you daily spend time with Jesus, you will be nurtured and begin to blossom and grow.
In the process of discovering you are precious to Him and He desires to be your dearest Friend, you will be validated. You will feel safe, soothed, and secure.
Why? Because in Him, you will have found your place of belonging in relationship with One who genuinely likes you and wants to meet the desire of your heart.
